News | Entertainment
18 Feb 2026 20:22
NZCity News
NZCity CalculatorReturn to NZCity

  • Start Page
  • Personalise
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • Finance
  • Shopping
  • Jobs
  • Horoscopes
  • Lotto Results
  • Photo Gallery
  • Site Gallery
  • TVNow
  • Dating
  • SearchNZ
  • NZSearch
  • Crime.co.nz
  • RugbyLeague
  • Make Home
  • About NZCity
  • Contact NZCity
  • Your Privacy
  • Advertising
  • Login
  • Join for Free

  •   Home > News > Entertainment

    Sean 'Diddy' Combs has filed an emergency motion to challenge an order to pay $100 million to man he insisted he has never met

    The 54-year-old rapper failed to attend a virtual hearing on Monday (09.09.24) in connection to Derrick Lee Cardello-Smith's sexual assault lawsuit against him and so Judge Anna Marie Anzalone awarded the default judgment in Lenawee County Circuit Court, but the 'I'll Be Missing You' hitmaker's legal team have now challenged the ruling.


    According to court documents obtained by People magazine, Diddy's attorneys argued his accuser - a "convicted felon who is serving time in prison for kidnapping and sexual assault" - has frequently filed "frivolous" claims in the past and his allegation of being sexually assaulted in 1997 is "objectively unbelievable".

    And they insisted many of Derrick's claims, such as that he invested $150,000 for 49% of Diddy's net worth, are fabricated, implausible, and full of "inconsistencies and fantastical claims".

    Marc Agnifilo, an attorney for the Bad Boy Records founder, said in a statement: "This man is a convicted felon and sexual predator, who has been sentenced on 14 counts of sexual assault and kidnapping over the last 26 years.

    "His resume now includes committing a fraud on the court from prison, as Mr. Combs has never heard of him let alone been served with any lawsuit. Mr. Combs looks forward to having this judgment swiftly dismissed."

    In addition, the lawyers argued Diddy wasn't properly served in the lawsuit, so the judgement is invalid.

    They claimed their famous client was unaware of the suit until the news about the default judgement was reported in the media, and insisted any delay in his response was unintentional as he quickly filed the motion to vacate once he was made aware.

    The motion branded the $100 million award "extraordinary and incompatible with any possible measure of actual damages even if every (facially implausible) allegation in the Complaint were true" as Combs "did not receive notice of the lawsuit" until Monday.

    And they noted even if the claims were true, the statute of limitations ended in 2007 so they should have been dismissed.

    Furthermore, Diddy filed a motion to dissolve a temporary restraining order and/or preliminary injunction, which had been granted in August.

    In his lawsuit, the accuser alleged he had met the 'Finna Get Loose' hitmaker - who is facing a string of sexual assault and trafficking cases - in 1997 during an afterparty at a Detroit Holiday Inn. He claimed they got a private room with two women and Diddy groped his buttocks while Derrick was having sex with one of their female companions. He also accused the rapper of drugging and sexually assaulting him.

    © 2026 Bang Showbiz, NZCity

     Other Entertainment News
     18 Feb: Wunmi Mosaku has "not been able to celebrate" her Oscar nomination
     18 Feb: The Simpsons will never have an official ending
     18 Feb: Ted Danson has revealed Cheers was almost cancelled during its first season
     18 Feb: Savannah Guthrie dec lared "it's never too late to do the next right thing" as she made a fresh appeal for her mother's safe return
     18 Feb: Wiz Khalifa has been left devastated by his father's "sudden" death after he "decided not to wake up"
     18 Feb: Glen Powell and Joe Jonas faked an arrest to prank his sister Leslie
     18 Feb: Linda Hamilton's Dark Winds role had a "very specific" unexpected connection to her late mother
     Top Stories

    RUGBY RUGBY
    Leicester Fainga'anuku's been benched for Sunday's Super Rugby clash between the Crusaders and Brumbies in Christchurch More...


    BUSINESS BUSINESS
    The Reserve Bank says inflation's too high, but it's actually worried it could soon end up too low More...



     Today's News

    Entertainment:
    Wunmi Mosaku has "not been able to celebrate" her Oscar nomination 19:57

    International:
    Equal time rule leads CBS to pull Stephen Colbert's James Talarico interview 19:37

    Entertainment:
    The Simpsons will never have an official ending 19:27

    Entertainment:
    Ted Danson has revealed Cheers was almost cancelled during its first season 18:57

    Business:
    The Reserve Bank says inflation's too high, but it's actually worried it could soon end up too low 18:57

    Health & Safety:
    Pharmac's being urged to give blood cancer patients assurance on what treatments are being funded in the coming years 18:37

    Entertainment:
    Savannah Guthrie dec lared "it's never too late to do the next right thing" as she made a fresh appeal for her mother's safe return 18:27

    Rugby League:
    Tiger Woods could be a contender for the US Ryder Cup golf captaincy next year 18:07

    Entertainment:
    Wiz Khalifa has been left devastated by his father's "sudden" death after he "decided not to wake up" 17:57

    Business:
    The Reserve Bank's kept the OCR unchanged at 2.25 percent - and expects it'll stay there for most of this year 17:27


     News Search






    Power Search


    © 2026 New Zealand City Ltd